Across the globe, 400 million children consume a meal at school daily. These meals provide more than just good nutrition; in many underdeveloped countries, school lunch is an incentive for children to attend school. 

A bipartisan group of more than 50 members of the U.S. House of Representatives today sent a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack urging USDA to address the underconsumption of dairy foods among American school-aged children.

The USDA recently announced that schools will be able to serve low-fat flavored milk during the upcoming school year — a relief for the dairy industry and a step in the right direction for children’s nutritional needs and preference for flavored milk.

USDA said it would publish a proposed rule “maintaining flexibility for schools to serve tasty meals their kids will be eager to eat.”

GENYOUth, a New York-based nonprofit organization founded by dairy farmers through their checkoff to create healthier schools, said it named Maureen Bausch as chief development officer, GENYOUth COVID-19 Emergency School Nutrition Fund.

Milk is the leading food source of nine essential nutrients in children’s diets, including calcium, vitamin D, and potassium.

International Dairy Foods Association, National Milk Producers Federation said the addition of whole milk to school menus reflects research showing such products benefit children.

Over half of the nation's students participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), which serves over 5 billion meals a year. That's a lot of meals, providing the dairy community with a tremendous opportunity to ensure that the milk and dairy foods experience is maximized.

Last year was an exciting year for the milk industry. We saw more product innovation, sustained growth of chocolate milk and whole milk sales, and resumed growth of organic milk.

A dairy association aligns nutrition education with the Common Core to give its dairy messages added relevancy and importance.